HISTORY 

* OF  THE 

OLD  CAMBRIDGE 
PHOTOGRAPHIC  CLUB 


<2.  C.P-C 
§5  / ?^-T. 


7 "HE  History  of  the  Old  Cambridge  Photographic 
Club , which  follows , ts  published  by  the  club  in  1905 
as  a memorial  to  the  author , Mr.  James  A.  Wells, 
the  first  president  of  the  club  and  until  his  death  in 
1904  an  untiring  active  member.  The  text  including 
the  Dedication  is  published  without  change  from  the 
original  manuscript.  It  should  be  said , however , that 
in  full  justice , the  names  of  Miss  Caroline  E. 
Peabody  and  of  Miss  Helen  T.  Peabody  are  joined 
to  that  of  Miss  Alice  C.  Allyn  in  the  minds  of 
the  members  when  mention  is  made  in  the  text  of  the 
founder  and  the  founding  of  the  club.  They  were 
equally  with  her  instrumental  in  the  inauguration  of 
the  new  departure  in  Cambridge. 


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A 


SHORT  HISTORY 

OF  THE 

OLD  CAMBRIDGE 
PHOTOGRAPHIC  CLUB 


James  A.  Wells 

1903 


BOSTON 

ALFRED  MUDGE  & SON  INC.  PRINTERS 
1905 


To 

Miss  Alice  C.  Allyn, 
the  founder  of  the  club , 
This  History 
is  respectfully  dedicated 
by 


the  author. 


A HISTORY 


OF  THE 

Old  Cambridge  Photographic  Club. 


PROLOGUE,  1892. 

The  general  adoption  of  dry  plates  between  1880  and 
1890,  with  the  consequent  changes  and  improvements 
in  apparatus,  so  simplified  and  facilitated  all  the  pro- 
cesses of  photography  that  many  were  induced  to  take 
up  the  art  as  a recreation.  In  Cambridge,  as  in  other 
places,  were  a number  of  enthusiasts,  working  by  them- 
selves with  more  or  less  success,  who  saw  and  appre- 
ciated the  benefits  which  would  result  from  regular 
association  with  other  craftsmen,  for  comparison  of 
methods  and  mutual  advice  and  assistance,  and  the 
question  was  often  asked,  “ Why  should  we  not  have  a 
photographic  club?  ” Nothing,  however,  was  done  until 
Miss  Alice  C.  Allyn  invited  her  photographic  friends  to 
meet  at  her  house  on  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  March, 
A.  D.  1892,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a camera  club. 
Seven  responded  to  the  call,  and  the  evening  was  passed 
in  informal  discussion.  The  situation  was  entirely 
novel;  there  was  no  example  for  the  establishment  of 
an  association  upon  such  lines  as  existing  conditions 
seemed  to  require;  the  necessity  for  keeping  the  society 
small  and  select  precluded  any  hope  of  raising  by  assess- 


7 


ment  enough  to  hire  and  equip  rooms  for  meetings  and 
the  practical  operations  of  the  art,  while  there  was  no 
record  of  a successful  club  without  a local  habitation 
and  a home.  It  was  impossible  to  foresee  either  the 
difficulties  to  be  encountered  or  the  results  to  be  accom- 
plished, but  “ nothing  venture  nothing  gain.”  Before 
the  meeting  adjourned,  it  was  resolved  to  lead  off  in  a 
new  field,  to  found  a club,  meeting  at  the  residences  of 
the  members,  and  trust  to  fortune.  Miss  C.  E.  Peabody 
was  chosen  secretary,  and  the  Old  Cambridge  Photo- 
graphic Club  was  launched. 

Sail  on  into  the  sea,  O ship! 

Through  wind  and  wave  right  onward  steer. 

Sail  on,  nor  fear  to  breast  the  sea, 

Our  hearts,  our  hopes  are  all  with  thee ! 

The  rash  adventurers  risking  their  fortunes  in  this 
frail  bark  to  brave  the  perils  of  unknown,  uncharted 
seas,  were, — Alice  C.  Allyn,  Caroline  L.  Parsons,  Caro- 
line E.  Peabody,  Helen  T.  Peabody,  Henry  L.  Rand, 
Henry  M.  Spelman,  F.  C.  de  Sumichrast,  James  A. 
Wells,  — four  of  whom  are  still  upon  the  rolls. 

The  new  secretary  called  a meeting  at  the  residence 
of  the  Misses  Peabody  on  April  13.  The  ship,  being 
now  fairly  afloat,  was  joined  by  those  invited  to  the 
first  meeting  who  were  unable  to  attend,  and  other 
members  were  elected,  the  club  starting  with  a mem- 
bership of  eighteen.  It  had  been  believed  at  first  that 
a small,  informal  club  would  run  itself, — a secretary  to 
send  notices  of  meetings  being  the  only  officer  neces- 
sary; but  it  became  evident  very  early  that  a ship 
without  captain  or  chart  was  not  likely  to  reach  port 
even  if  it  escaped  utter  wreck.  Officers  were  therefore 
elected,  Mr.  Wells,  president,  and  Mr.  Spelman,  vice- 


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president,  who,  with  the  secretary  already  chosen, 
should  form  the  council  of  the  club,  and  who  were 
appointed  a committee  to  draw  up  a constitution  and 
report  at  the  next  meeting.  Mr.  Wells  then  read  a 
letter  on  choice  of  an  outfit,  addressed  to  Miss  Hawkeye, 
an  imaginary  member,  supposed  to  be  in  want  of  advice, 
and  the  meeting  adjourned. 

On  April  27  the  records  of  the  last  meeting  were 
read  for  the  first  time,  and,  there  being  no  errors  or 
omissions,  were  approved.  A form  of  constitution  pre- 
pared by  the  council  was  submitted  and  adopted,  very 
much  as  offered,  after  a good  deal  of  argument  and  dis- 
cussion on  trivial  unimportant  points.  The  rather  long 
name  was  chosen  to  avoid  confusion  with  a Cambridge 
camera  club  already  established  in  Cambridgeport.  The 
evening  closed  with  a letter  to  Miss  Hawkeye  on  devel- 
opment, read  by  Mr.  Spelman. 

Meetings  were  held  regularly  until  the  coming  of 
warm  weather,  the  hostess  for  the  evening  providing 
some  entertainment  of  a photographic  nature.  On  Dec- 
oration Day,  May  30,  a small  party  spent  a cloudy  day 
on  the  banks  of  the  Assabet  Eiver,  in  Concord,  enjoy- 
ing a pleasant  outing,  and  taking  some  good  photo- 
graphs in  the  soft  light,  which  were  hung  for  inspection 
at  the  last  meeting  of  the  season.  On  this  evening  it 
was  proposed  by  the  council  that  interest  during  the 
summer  vacation  should  be  sustained  by  competition 
for  a prize  to  be  awarded  early  in  the  autumn,  and  an 
out-door  group  of  not  less  than  three  figures  was  sug- 
gested as  the  subject.  The  plan  was  received  with 
favor,  and  it  was  voted  to  hold  such  a contest. 

The  club  reassembled  in  the  fall,  full  of  energy  and 
enthusiasm.  The  experiment  had  succeeded  beyond 


9 


the  most  sanguine  anticipations,  and  a prosperous  new 
year  was  assured  if  present  interest  could  be  main- 
tained. The  membership  was  now  nineteen,  fourteen 
having  joined  the  original  eight,  while  three  had  resigned. 
Six  regular  meetings  had  been  held,  with  good  attend- 
ance, members  giving  original  papers  and  demonstra- 
tions, or  reading  extracts  from  photographic  books  for 
the  instruction  and  diversion  of  the  company.  Photo- 
graphs were  handed  around  for  comparison  and  criti- 
cism, while  conversation  on  the  absorbing  subject  of 
the  art  filled  any  gaps  in  the  order  of  exercises.  Two 
magazines  were  subscribed  for  and  circulated. 

The  first  annual  meeting  met  November  28,  1892. 
The  first  annual  reports  of  the  secretary  and  treasurer 
were  read;  an  assessment  of  one  dollar,  principally  for 
expenses  of  the  circulating  library,  was  voted;  the  old 
board  of  officers, — Mr.  Wells,  president,  Mr.  Spelman, 
vice-president,  and  Miss  Peabody,  secretary,  were  re- 
elected, and  the  club  had  entered  upon  the  year. 

1892-3. 

Believing  that  members  might  improve  their  work 
in  portraiture,  and  that  they  ought  to  be  encouraged  to 
work  more  in  company,  the  president  offered  two 
prizes  : — 

For  the  best  full-length  portrait  of  a member  by 
another  member,  a Carbutt  lantern  ; for  the  best  vign- 
ette head  of  a member  by  another  member,  a dis- 
pensing scale ; all  work  to  be  done  by  members  of  the 
club,  but  members  allowed  to  help  each  other  to  any 
extent ; prints  to  be  ready  at  first  meeting  in  May,  and 
at  least  seven  members  to  compete  in  each  class. 


10 


The  first  club  competition,  the  group  of  three  figures, 
was  adjudged  and  the  prize  awarded  at  the  meeting  of 
December  20,  at  Miss  Allyn’s,  seven  members,  about 
one  third  of  the  club,  entering  the  contest.  The  family- 
clothes-line  was  stretched  across  the  parlor,  and  the 
prints  attached  thereto  by  the  family  clothes-pins,  a 
novel  and  original  but  highly  effective  way  of  hanging 
an  exhibition.  The  judges,  Mr.  E.  S.  Dixwell  and  Miss 
E.  D.  Norcross,  were  asked  to  be  present  and  speak  to 
the  meeting  about  the  collection  and  the  reasons  for 
their  decision.  Mr.  Dixwell  sent  a pleasant  note  re- 
gretting his  inability  to  attend,  but  Miss  Norcross  gave 
a very  pleasant  talk,  criticizing  the  pictures,  pointing 
out  defects  and  merits  and  suggesting  ways  of  avoid- 
ing the  former.  The  prize,  a copy  of  H.  P.  Robinson’s 
“ Pictorial  Effect  in  Photography,”  was  given  to  Mr. 
Morison  for  his  “ Trespassers  in  the  Berrying  Ground 
Mr.  Kettell’s  “ Little  Cousins  ” and  Miss  Allyn’s  “ Cat’s 
Cradle  ” receiving  honorable  mention ; indeed,  the 
former,  but  for  its  being  an  indoor  group,  and  so  not 
within  the  rules,  would  have  won  the  prize. 

Early  in  the'year  an  amendment  to  the  constitution 
allowing  the  election  of  a limited  number  of  associate 
members,  non-residents  of  Cambridge,  to  enjoy  the 
duties  and  privileges  of  regular  members  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  right  to  vote,  was  adopted. 

Very  much  to  everyone’s  regret  Mr.  Spelman  was 
obliged  to  resign  his  office  in  January,  finding  that  it 
took  too  much  of  his  time.  As  he  declined  to  withdraw 
his  resignation  though  urged  to  do  so,  it  was  accepted, 
and  a vote  of  thanks  passed  for  the  able  manner  in 
which  he  had  performed  his  duties.  At  a meeting  of 
the  council  called  to  fill  the  vacancy,  the  secretary  an- 


il 


nounced  that  she  wanted  Harry  Rand.  Mr.  Rand 
was  accordingly  appointed  vice-president.  Everyone 
familiar  with  the  club’s  career  during  the  next  four 
years  will  bear  witness  to  the  wisdom  of  the  secretary’s 
choice. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  0.  W.  Huntington, 
who  placed  a room  and  lantern  in  Boylston  Hall  at 
their  service,  the  club  enjoyed  its  first  lantern  show 
January  31,  Mr.  Rand,  with  Mr.  Huntington’s  assist- 
ance, exhibiting  a collection  of  his  own  slides. 

At  the  meeting  which  followed,  at  Mr.  Rand’s  house, 
Miss  Helen  Peabody  startled  the  club  very  much  by 
moving  that  a public  exhibition  be  held  in  the  spring  or 
summer.  The  proposal  was  not  received  with  enthusi- 
asm, most  of  the  members  regarding  it  as  rash  and 
foolhardy  to  a degree,  and  hardly  worthy  of  serious 
consideration,  but,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  president, 
that  public  exhibitions  were  among  the  most  common 
proceedings  of  photographic  societies,  and  that  a credit- 
able one  would  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  club,  while 
no  one  was  pledged  to  any  action  by  the  appointment  of 
a committee  to  investigate,  Miss  H.  T.  Peabody,  Mr. 
Rand  and  Mr.  Corne  were  appointed  a committee  to  in- 
quire into  the  advisability  of  a public  exhibition  and 
report  at  some  future  time. 

A letter  was  received  and  read  at  one  of  the  meetings, 
from  Mr.  Edgar  Richards  of  Washington  describing  his 
method  of  taking  portraits  by  the  light  of  an  ordinary 
window,  accompanied  by  three  large  photographs  of  a 
club  member  then  in  Washington.  The  letter  was 
much  discussed  and  the  secretary  instructed  to  thank 
Mr.  Richards  in  a polite  note,  — but  the  portraits  were 
suppressed  by  the  young  lady’s  mother. 


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The  required  seven  competitors  for  the  president’s 
portrait  prize  failing  to  present  themselves  at  the  first 
meeting  in  May,  the  time  was  extended  in  the  hope  that 
more  interest  might  be  aroused  in  the  near  future. 

At  the  last  meeting  of  the  season,  a plan  for  summer 
work,  requiring  each  member  to  hand  in  one  or  more 
prints,  the  subject  being  left  entirely  to  his  or  her  own 
choice,  and  recommending  a penalty  for  non-compliance, 
was  offered  by  the  council  and  approved  by  the  club,  the 
penalty  being  fixed  by  vote  at  a fine  of  one  dollar. 
On  this  evening,  the  exhibition  was  held  and  the  prize 
awarded  in  the  competition  for  the  best  snow  landscape 
taken  during  the  winter  just  passed,  offered  by  Mr. 
Corne.  Mr.  Corne,  who  acted  as  judge,  stated  that  he 
had  found  great  difficulty  in  choosing  between  three  of 
the  five  photographs  submitted,  finally  deciding  in  favor 
of  Miss  C.  E.  Peabody’s  “Snow  in  Cambridge,”  and  giv- 
ing the  prize,  a copy  of  “My  Three-Legged  Story  Teller,” 
to  her  because  all  work  on  negative  and  print  was  done 
by  the  competitor. 

In  all,  twelve  meetings  were  held  during  the  year  and 
entertained  by  different  members,  the  family  clothes-line 
being  often  in  evidence,  being  hung  with  prints  or  draw- 
ings in  illustration  of  the  evening’s  lecture,  and  twice 
the  lantern  was  used.  The  attendance  showed  the  in- 
terest to  be  increasing  and  the  club  work  was  beginning 
to  tell,  despite  the  rather  poor  showing  at  the  two  com- 
petitions that  came  off,  and  the  utter  failure  for  the  time 
being  of  the  president’s  prize  contest.  As  the  aims  and 
objects  of  the  society  became  better  understood,  mem- 
bers were  coming  to  appreciate  the  advantages  of  work- 
ing together  toward  a common  end,  rather  than  wasting 
their  energies  in  many  different  directions,  each  one  at 
his  own  sweet  will. 


13 


The  second  annual  meeting,  November  21,  1893,  found 
twenty-four  regular  and  one  associate  members  on  the 
rolls,  with  a balance  of  twenty-four  cents  in  the  treas- 
ury. The  president  delivered  a short  message,  congrat- 
ulating the  club  upon  the  prosperous  career  which  had 
brought  them  to  their  first  birthday,  and  urging  mem- 
bers to  work  more  together.  The  Exhibition  Committee 
made  a report,  and  it  was  voted  to  hold  an  exhibition  in 
February;  an  assessment  of  two  dollars  for  ordinary 
expenses  was  levied;  the  old  board  of  officers  was  re- 
elected, and  all  was  ready  to  begin  the  new  year. 

1893-4. 

Stimulated  by  a newly  awakened  enthusiasm  or  the 
threatened  fine,  twenty-one  of  the  twenty-four  members 
contributed  sixty- two  photographs  to  the  competition 
for  summer  work,  December  19.  The  family  clothes- 
line was  discarded  for  the  evening,  and  the  prints  hung 
npon  a curtain  of  dark  red  cotton  flannel,  stretched  over 
the  wall,  where,  with  the  white  mounts  then  in  fash- 
ion, they  made  a most  effective  show.  Professor  de 
Sumichrast,  a former  member,  who  acted  as  judge,  was 
instructed  to  give  points  for  excellence,  not  exceeding 
fifteen  for  artistic  and  ten  for  technical,  and,  in  addi- 
tion, five  where  negative  and  five  where  print  were  the 
work  of  competitor ; and  to  award  a limited  number  of 
prizes  to  such  photographs  as  showed  very  conspicuous 
merit.  A most  delightful  hour  was  passed,  listening  to 
an  informal  talk  from  Mr.  de  Sumichrast,  who  criticized 
each  exhibit  in  detail  and  allotted  five  prizes,  giving  the 
highest  possible  number  of  points  to  two  of  the  prints. 
The  great  improvement  of  this  collection  over  any  pre- 
vious display  of  the  club  was  a most  hopeful  sign.  Many 


14 


of  the  photographs,  particularly  if  printed  by  modern 
methods,  would  stand  well  in  an  exhibition  of  to-day; 
but  the  proportion  of  figure  pieces  was  small,  and  all 
the  prizes  were  given  to  landscapes.  The  club  was 
gaining,  but  still  had  much  to  learn. 

The  first  annual  exhibition  narrowly  escaped  total 
wreck  at  the  meeting  of  January  16,  when  the  committee 
upon  whom  the  success  of  the  whole  affair  depended 
made  a statement  to  the  effect  that  having  been  ap- 
pointed “to  investigate  and  report,”  they  had  no  powers 
after  their  report  was  accepted.  A motion  by  Mr. 
Carruth,  that  the  same  committee  be  authorized  to 
arrange  for  an  exhibition  and  the  club  be  assessed  for 
the  expense,  was  lost.  After  much  debate  a motion  to 
reconsider  resulted  in  a tie,  decided  in  the  affirmative 
by  the  vote  of  the  chair.  Mr.  Carruth’s  motion  was 
then  carried  and  the  exhibition  assured,  unless  the  club 
changed  their  minds  before  the  appointed  date.  Consist- 
ency was  a virtue  not  fully  appreciated  by  the  members 
at  this  time. 

The  first  annual  exhibition  opened  February  22,  1894, 
in  rooms  at  the  Social  Union,  small  and  low,  but  well 
lighted,  central  and  otherwise  suitable.  The  walls  were 
draped  with  red  cotton  flannel,  upon  which  were  dis- 
played two  hundred  and  fifty  photographs,  selected  from 
two  hundred  and  ninety-three  offered,  covering  every 
inch  of  available  space.  All  the  work  of  covering  the 
walls,  hanging  the  prints  and  arranging  the  rooms  was 
done  by  the  committee,  assisted  by  two  or  three  volun- 
teers. The  collection  was  on  view  three  days,  and  was 
visited  by  more  than  a thousand  people,  who  were  much 
interested  and  loud  in  praise,  many  coming  several  times 
and  crowding  the  rooms  to  the  limit  of  their  capacity. 


15 


This  exhibition  did  more  than  anything  preceding  it  to 
consolidate  the  club  and  establish  it  upon  a firm,  lasting 
foundation,  and  members,  while  all  ready  to  claim 
credit,  were  obliged  to  acknowledge  their  obligations  to 
Miss  Helen  Peabody  and  her  few  supporters,  who  were 
able  to  bring  the  affair  to  a successful  conclusion  in  spite 
of  the  apathy  of  many  and  the  active  opposition  of  a 
few.  The  entire  cost  was  thirty-nine  dollars  and  twenty- 
four  cents,  about  half  of  which  was  for  drapery  and 
other  properties  still  in  use. 

Any  feelings  of  undue  self-sufficiency  and  conceit, 
which  may  have  been  aroused  by  the  triumphs  of  the 
summer  competition,  were  probably  dispelled  when  the 
much  postponed  president’s  portrait  prize  finally  came 
off  in  March.  Not  deeming  it  desirable,  after  examin- 
ation of  the  pictures,  to  go  out  of  the  club  for  judges, 
the  president  appointed  Miss  Howe  and  Messrs.  Morison 
and  Thorp.  Mr.  Thorp  summed  up  for  the  board  and 
pronounced  sentence,  declaring  the  collection  not  up  to 
the  high  standard  established  by  the  club,  giving  the 
prize  for  vignette  head  to  Mrs.  Kettell,  but  making  no 
award  for  full  length  portrait,  seven  members  not  having 
entered  in  that  class.  The  result,  after  so  long  a season 
for  preparation,  was  disappointing,  but  called  attention 
once  more  to  the  weakness  shown  in  an  important 
branch  of  the  art.  Later,  the  president  offered  a prize 
for  the  best  portrait  of  a member,  taken  by  another 
member,  before  the  first  meeting  in  April,  1895,  mem- 
bers to  be  allowed  to  help  each  other  to  any  extent. 

A plan  for  summer  work  was  submitted  by  the 
council  in  April,  dividing  the  exhibits  into  two  classes: 
A,  in  which  the  subject  should  be  studies  of  the  human 
face,  and  B,  where  the  principal  interest  should  not  be 


16 


human  figure.  A very  animated  discussion  lasting  the 
whole  evening  ensued,  but  the  plan  was  adopted  very 
much  as  offered.  At  this  time  the  club  enjoyed  all  the 
advantages  of  a vigorous  and  determined  opposition. 

During  the  spring  and  early  summer  five  field  meet- 
ings, under  the  guidance  of  Miss  Helen  Peabody,  were 
held,  the  club  spending  an  afternoon  with  their  cameras 
in  some  picturesque  spot,  and  a number  of  excellent 
photographs  were  taken,  the  clothes-line  being  decorated 
with  about  sixty  at  the  first  meeting  after  the  recess. 

The  reports  of  the  secretary  and  treasurer  read  at  the 
third  annual  meeting,  November  20,  1894,  showed  con- 
tinued prosperity  and  welfare  ; thirteen  regular  meet- 
ings had  been  held  during  the  year,  with  an  average 
attendance  of  seventeen,  and  the  club  had  been  received 
on  one  occasion  at  the  house  of  an  ex-member.  The 
two  competitions,  with  lectures  and  papers,  original 
and  selected,  illustrated  by  lanterns  or  otherwise,  given 
by  members  and  experts  from  outside,  had  served  to 
entertain  and  instruct  the  company  and  maintain  the 
enthusiasm.  There  were  twenty-five  regular  members, 
the  limit,  and  one  associate,  with  a good  balance  in  the 
treasury.  It  was  voted  to  discontinue  the  circulating 
library,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  periodicals 
moving.  The  annual  assessment  was  fixed  at  one  dol- 
lar. It  was  decided  to  hold  an  exhibition.  The  old 
officers  were  re-elected,  and  the  year  1893-1894  had 
passed  into  history. 

1894-5. 

The  best  collection  of  figure  studies  yet  shown  was 
brought  together  by  the  division  of  the  summer  competi- 
tion into  two  classes,  twenty  members  being  represented 
by  thirty-nine  prints.  Mr.  Thorp  received  first  prize  in 


17 


Class  A,  human  interest,  for  a portrait  group  of  two 
figures,  though  pressed  hard  by  Mr.  Rand  with  his 
picture  of  a musing  girl,  entitled  “Revery.”  The  prize 
in  Class  B was  given  to  Mr.  Kettell  for  his  picture  of 
Shawshine  River. 

The  Exhibition  Committee  reported  through  its  chair- 
man, Mr.  Carruth,  that  a very  convenient  and  suitable 
studio  in  Buckingham  Place  could  be  engaged,  and  rec- 
ommended that  friends  of  the  members  should  be 
invited  to  a reception  and  private  view,  before  opening 
the  hall  to  the  public ; the  cost  would  be  rather  more 
than  last  year.  This  proposal  proved  nearly  as  astound- 
ing as  the  original  one  to  hold  an  exhibition,  and  the 
club  failed  to  respond  with  any  heartiness.  The  recep- 
tion was  an  entirely  new  departure,  and  many  con- 
sidered the  rooms  at  the  Social  Union  good  enough  for 
any  exhibition.  After  some  debate  the  question  was 
laid  upon  the  table,  to  give  time  for  consideration  and 
reflection.  A special  meeting  called  to  settle  and  decide 
the  matter  was  opened  by  the  president,  who  said  the 
real  question  was  simply  one  of  expense,  the  studio 
being  an  excellent  place  for  an  exhibition,  and  a recep- 
tion an  agreeable  social  occasion,  provided  the  club  cared 
to  pay  for  them.  The  committee  recommended  that 
tickets  for  the  reception  be  subscribed  for,  and  the 
expense  divided  in  proportion  to  the  number  taken  by 
each  member.  A sufficient  number  were  at  once  dis- 
posed of  to  ensure  the  success  of  the  reception,  and  it 
was  decided  to  engage  the  studio. 

On  the  evening  of  February  19,  the  pleasant  hall  in 
Buckingham  Place  was  filled  with  members  and  their 
invited  guests,  who  enjoyed  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
social  gatherings  of  the  year.  Twenty-three  of  the 


18 


twenty-five  members  contributed  pictures,  and  the  gal- 
lery was  arranged  with  better  effect  than  was  possible 
in  the  cramped  quarters  at  the  Social  Union.  Each 
member’s  exhibit  was  hung  by  itself,  while  the  quality 
of  the  work  was  much  better  than  that  of  1894. 
During  the  four  days  it  continued  on  view,  the  collec- 
tion was  visited  by  some  thirteen  hundred  people.  The 
signal  success  of  the  reception,  with  the  highly  effective 
display  of  the  exhibition,  convinced  the  most  doubting 
members,  and  the  two  dollars  assessed  for  expenses  of 
the  exhibition  were  cheerfully  paid  by  all,  while  seven- 
teen cents  for  each  reception  ticket  was  considered  a 
very  small  outlay  for  a great  deal  of  pleasure. 

Before  the  exhibits  were  taken  down,  a regular  meet- 
ing of  the  club  was  held  in  the  studio,  and  entertained 
by  the  president,  who  spoke  of  the  exhibition  and  the 
separate  exhibits  in  a rather  informal  way.  A ballot 
was  afterward  taken  on  the  best  collection,  Mr.  Wells 
receiving  the  highest  vote. 

The  wedding  of  two  members  was  celebrated  at  this 
time,  and  the  happy  pair  were  presented  with  a hand- 
some album  containing  an  original  photograph  by  each 
of  the  other  members. 

It  was  also  voted  to  purchase  an  album,  to  be  kept  as 
a record,  in  which  photographs  taking  prizes  in  compe- 
titions and  exhibitions,  with  any  others  of  special  inter- 
est, should  be  preserved. 

A very  creditable  collection  of  portraits  was  displayed 
on  the  evening  of  April  23,  in  competition  for  the  pres- 
ident’s prize,  showing  an  immense  advance  since  the  con- 
test of  the  previous  year.  Miss  Norcross  acted  as  judge, 
giving  the  prize  to  Mrs.  Allen  for  her  portrait  of  Professor 
Allen  seated  in  his  study,  while  six  other  prints  received 
honorable  mention. 


19 


At  the  last  meeting  in  the  spring  a prize  offered  by 
Mr.  Corne  for  the  best  snow  landscape  was  awarded, 
Miss  Nor  cross  again  acting  as  judge.  The  prize  was 
given  to  Miss  Howe’s  “ Distant  View  of  Mount  Cho- 
corua,”  with  honorable  mention  to  two  other  mem- 
bers. 

After  a most  prosperous  and  successful  year,  the  club 
met  for  its  fourth  annual  meeting,  November  17,  1895. 
The  secretary’s  report  showed  a satisfactory  amount  of 
work  done,  and  the  twenty-five  members  allowed  by 
the  constitution  on  the  rolls,  with  candidates  still  upon 
the  waiting  list.  The  treasurer  reported  all  bills  col- 
lected, all  debts  paid,  and  a respectable  balance  on  hand. 
Am  assessment  for  expenses  was  voted,  and  it  was 
decided  to  hold  an  exhibition.  After  serving  since  the 
commencement,  Mr.  Wells  asked  to  be  relieved  from 
office,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Carruth,  Mr.  Rand 
being  re-elected  vice-president,  and  Miss  Peabody, 
secretary. 

1895-6. 

The  advance  made  by  the  club  had  been  very  great 
in  all  directions,  and  Mr.  Carruth  took  command  of  a 
strong,  firmly-rooted  society  of  earnest  workers,  rather 
wilful  and  opinionated,  indeed,  inclined  to  dispute  and 
argue  over  any  measure  proposed,  but  withal  true, 
loyal,  and  ready  to  give  their  best  efforts  in  support  of 
any  scheme  decided  upon  by  the  majority.  Without 
introducing  any  radical  changes  in  the  policy  which  had 
proved  so  successful  hitherto,  he  devoted  himself  to  car- 
rying the  work  farther  upon  much  the  same  lines,  with 
the  view  of  increasing  the  benefits  and  advantages  of 
the  association. 


20 


The  third  annual  exhibition  opened  with  a reception 
at  the  Buckingham  Place  studio,  February  18,  1896, 
and  lasted  five  days,  including  Sunday,  when  the  rooms 
were  open  during  the  afternoon.  Twenty-one  of  the 
twenty-three  members  were  represented,  and  the  seven- 
teen hundred  visitors  pronounced  the  collection  far 
superior  to  any  preceding  one.  For  the  first  time  a 
limited  number  of  pictures  showing  special  merit  were 
distinguished  by  marks.  Messrs.  Sprague  and  Loud,  of 
the  Boston  Camera  Club,  who  were  invited  to  act  as 
judges,  made  the  awards,  praising  the  exhibition  as  a 
whole  by  saying  there  was  not  a bad  thing  in  it.  This 
was  probably  the  most  judged  display  of  photographs 
ever  exhibited.  At  the  meeting  held  in  the  studio,  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Sprague  was  read  giving  the  judges’ 
reasons  for  selection  of  certain  prints  for  honors.  Mr. 
Wells  criticized  the  different  groups  of  pictures  orally, 
and  the  result  of  a ballot  by  the  members  on  the 
relative  excellence  of  the  different  exhibits,  was  an- 
nounced. An  ingenious  chart  of  these  votes  made  a 
curious  study,  showing  the  value  of  individual  opinion 
in  matters  of  art.  The  votes  for  first  place  were  divided 
among  four  individuals,  neither  receiving  a majority; 
while  one  member  had  one  vote  for  first  place  and 
another  for  fifteenth,  the  rest  being  scattered  along 
between ; another  received  one  or  more  votes  for  every 
place  from  sixth  to  eighteenth,  finally  bringing  up  as 
number  thirteen.  This  experiment  has  never  been 
repeated,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  suppress  the 
chart,  in  deference  to  the  feelings  of  those  who  stood 
lower  than  the  head  of  the  class. 

The  peaceful  progress  of  the  club  was  interrupted  by 
a violent  tempest,  which  arose  before  the  new  council 


21 


were  firmly  established  in  their  chairs.  The  consti- 
tution then  required  elections  of  members  to  be  by 
ballot,  the  secretary  to  keep  a list  of  persons  proposed, 
from  which  the  council  might  nominate  candidates  to 
fill  vacancies.  This  had  always  worked  weU  in  practice, 
any  candidate  against  whom  there  was  believed  to  be 
an  objection  remaining  on  the  waiting  list  until  the 
objection  was  removed,  when  he  was  nominated  and 
elected,  or  until  his  name  was  withdrawn;  but  the 
council,  about  the  middle  of  the  year,  decided  to  evade 
the  responsibility  of  selecting  candidates,  and  two 
vacancies  occurring,  nominated  the  first  two  names  on 
the  list,  leaving  their  fate  to  the  will  of  the  club.  One 
of  them  was  a gentleman  not  acceptable  to  some  of  the 
members,  while  the  other  was  known  to  only  a few. 
Nominated  without  any  indorsement  by  the  council, 
they  were  blackballed  and  much  feeling  excited,  the 
matter  being  taken  up  by  those  not  interested  in  the 
rejected  candidates,  and  for  a long  time  the  atmosphere 
was  very  stormy.  Another  candidate,  very  acceptable 
to  most  of  the  club,  was  nominated  and  thrown  over, 
and  it  was  seen  to  be  impossible  to  fill  existing  vacan- 
cies while  the  agitation  continued.  Many  wild  and 
extravagant  plans  were  proposed  and  discussed  without 
effect,  until,  after  nearly  three  months  of  turmoil,  an 
amendment  to  the  constitution  proposed  by  Mr.  The  ip, 
placing  all  the  responsibility  for  acceptance  or  rejec- 
tion of  candidates  upon  the  council,  the  club  having 
the  privilege  of  acting  as  an  advisory  committee,  was 
adopted  and  quiet  restored,  but  for  two  years  there- 
after no  new  names  were  added  to  the  rolls. 

Another  gusty  squall  was  excited  by  the  attempt  to 
carry  out  the  club  competitions.  Before  the  summer 


22 


recess  the  council,  believing  the  club  competitions  played 
an  important  part  in  the  regular  yearly  course  and  were 
well  established  in  public  favor,  submitted  a plan  for 
three  competitions  every  year  “ until  otherwise  or- 
dered,” one  for  figure  studies,  one  for  portraits,  with 
the  view-  of  encouraging  work  in  those  branches,  and 
the  third,  in  which  choice  of  subject  was  left  to  the 
competitor  for  his  efforts  in  the  other,  possibly  uncon- 
genial, classes  ; members  to  pay  a small  fine  in  each 
class  provided  they  failed  to  compete.  As  usual,  the 
plan  was  adopted  with  a few  amendments  after  a 
long  and  animated  debate.  Having  signified  their  ap- 
proval of  the  council’s  plan,  the  club  proceeded  to  add 
an  amendment,  proposed  at  the  next  meeting,  providing 
that  any  member  not  entering  the  competitions  might 
discharge  all  obligations  by  producing  six  finished  and 
mounted  prints,  from  exposures  made  since  the  last 
annual  competition.  The  club  believed  in  the  competi- 
tions and  a majority  came  into  them,  but  when  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  determine  the  standing  of  the  six 
finished  and  mounted  photographs  of  the  one  non-com- 
peting member,  it  was  discovered,  very  much  to  the 
surprise  of  those  who  voted  for  it,  that  the  amendment 
made  the  whole  competition  plan  utterly  nugatory  and 
void.  The  result  of  a rather  acrimonious  debate  was 
that  the  council  were  instructed  to  revise  the  plan  for 
club  competitions.  They  presented  at  a later  meeting  a 
plan,  retaining  the  three  annual  competitions,  but  omit- 
ting the  amendment ; this  plan  was  contested  item  by 
item  by  the  proposer  of  the  amendment,  but  the  club 
had  returned  for  a time  to  their  allegiance  and  the 
measure  was  passed  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote  and 
remains  in  force  at  the  present  time. 


23 


April  7,  1896,  a message  from  the  president  was  read, 
giving  a sketch  of  the  club  from  the  beginning,  calling 
attention  to  the  progress  made,  and  laying  emphasis  on 
the  advantages  to  be  gained  by  team  work,  and  propos- 
ing that  the  club  prepare  a set  of  lantern  slides  to  illus- 
trate Charles  River  from  the  source  to  the  sea,  with  a 
view  to  an  exhibition  the  next  winter.  The  club  re- 
sponded with  enthusiasm,  and  Mrs.  Kettell,  Mr.  Morison 
and  Mr.  Allen  were  appointed  a committee,  to  which  the 
council  were  afterwards  joined.  A map  of  the  river 
was  prepared  by  Mr.  Kettell  and  the  country  divided 
into  sections,  one  district  being  assigned  to  each  mem- 
ber, and  the  club  spent  a large  part  of  the  ensuing  sum- 
mer wandering  with  their  cameras  on  the  picturesque 
banks  of  our  historic  stream. 

In  the  president’s  absence  Mr.  Rand,  vice-president, 
presided  at  the  meeting  of  May  19  ; he  called  attention 
to  the  fact  that  though  this  was  the  club’s  sixty-first 
meeting,  it  was  the  first  at  which  the  jealous  vigilance 
of  the  presidents  had  allowed  him  to  occupy  the 
chair. 

The  club  met  for  its  fifth  annual  meeting  November 
17,  1896.  The  season  just  passed  had  been  prosperous 
like  its  predecessors  ; sixteen  regular  meetings  had  been 
held  with  an  average  attendance  of  seventeen.  The  reg- 
ular competitions  in  Classes  A,  B,  and  C called  out  a 
good  number  of  creditable  photographs,  as  had  a prize 
offered  by  Mr.  Corne  for  the  best  snow  landscape,  while 
members  continued  to  furnish  the  instruction  and 
amusement  for  most  of  the  meetings.  Mr.  Carruth 
was  re-elected  president.  Mr.  Thorp  was  chosen  vice- 
president  in  place  of  Mr.  Rand,  who  was  allowed  to 
retire  at  his  own  request. 


24 


Mr.  Rand  had  been  one  of  the  main  supports  of  the 
club  since  its  foundation.  Always  active  and  hopeful, 
working  cheerfully  for  the  community  without  thought 
of  self,  he  enjoyed  the  esteem  and  good-will  of  everyone, 
whether  ruling  as  one  of  the  council  or  serving  humbly 
in  the  ranks. 

Miss  Peabody  also  asked  to  be  excused  from  longer 
service,  and  Miss  Smith  was  chosen  secretary,  but  as 
she  declined  to  serve,  and  no  one  else  was  willing  to 
assume  the  arduous  duties,  Miss  Peabody  consented 
to  keep  the  records  for  a short  time  until  some  other 
person  could  be  found  for  her  successor.  It  may  be 
added  that  this  little  sought  and  not  much  desired 
person  has  not  yet  been  discovered. 

1896-7. 

The  club’s  great  work,  the  illustration  of  Charles 
River,  was  completed  early  this  year.  Over  two  hun- 
dred photographs  of  the  river  and  its  shores,  taken 
during  the  summer,  were  shown  at  the  first  meeting  in 
the  autumn,  from  which  selections  were  made  for  the 
exhibition.  The  chosen  negatives  were  intrusted  to  a 
professional  photographer  to  make  slides,  but  his  work 
proving  unsatisfactory,  a set  of  excellent  slides  was 
prepared  by  members  of  the  club.  The  first  exhibition 
was  given  in  Brattle  Hall  in  January,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Social  Union,  Mr.  Thorp  acting  as  showman  and 
delivering  the  explanatory  lecture.  The  hall  was  filled 
with  a refined  and  cultivated  audience,  who  showed 
their  interest  and  appreciation  by  frequent  applause, 
and  after  paying  all  expenses  something  was  realized 
for  the  Social  Union.  Applications  were  at  once  re- 
ceived for  repetitions  of  the  performance,  and  Mr.  Thorp 


25 


exhibited  the  collection  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  times 
before  literary  and  other  societies,  seeking,  when  possi- 
ble, to  aid  the  efforts  of  the  Metropolitan  Park  Commis- 
sion in  calling  attention  to  the  natural  beauties  of  our 
State,  and  the  duty  of  preserving  and  developing  them. 
Some  share  of  the  credit  for  this  good  work  fairly  be- 
longs to  the  Old  Cambridge  Photographic  Club. 

Historic  Cambridge  was  selected,  by  vote,  from  a 
number  of  subjects  proposed  for  the  successor  to  the 
Charles  River  enterprise,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen,  with 
Mr.  Wells,  were  appointed  a committee  to  investigate. 
They  found  in  the  college  library  old  books,  engravings, 
drawings  and  pictures,  illustrating  the  old  town  and  its 
life,  and  Mr.  Winsor,  the  librarian,  became  much  inter- 
ested and  disposed  to  help.  With  this  and  other  col- 
lections which  would  have  been  accessible  with  Mr. 
Winsor ’s  support,  and  the  old  buildings  and  other 
monuments  of  antiquity  still  standing,  several  very 
interesting  lectures  in  a little- worked  field  might  have 
been  prepared.  But  the  club  showed  itself  indifferent 
and  apathetic,  the  committee’s  report  was  laid  on  the 
table,  where  it  was  allowed  to  lie  until  the  autumn,  and 
in  the  meantime,  the  unfortunate  deaths  of  Mr.  Allen 
and  Mr.  Winsor,  upon  whom  the  scheme  depended 
largely  for  success,  gave  the  finishing  blow  to  what 
might  have  been  an  exceedingly  brilliant  achievement 
of  the  club. 

At  the  meeting  of  November  9,  Miss  Devens  gave 
some  account  of  a new  printing  process,  called  ‘ ‘ gum 
bichromate  ”,  which  she  had  seen  while  abroad  during 
the  summer. 

Affairs  had  fallen  during  the  year  into  a regular,  quiet 
routine,  much  being  accomplished  with  little  disturb- 


26 


ance.  Competitions  in  Classes  A,  B,  and  C,  with  the 
new  lantern  slide  contest  established  by  the  president, 
and  the  snow  competition,  now  adopted  as  part  of  the 
regular  club  course,  had,  with  the  Charles  River  and 
the  annual  exhibition,  kept  everyone  fully  employed. 
The  meetings  not  occupied  with  competitions  had  been 
diverted  by  lectures  and  demonstrations  as  before,  among 
others  Mr.  W.  L.  Underwood  giving  the  first  of  his 
bright  and  original  talks  on  wild  life,  since  become  so 
agreeable  a part  of  the  exercises  of  the  year.  A severe 
loss  had  been  sustained  in  the  sudden  and  untimely 
death  of  Prof.  Frederic  D.  Allen,  one  of  the  leading  and 
most  reliable  members.  Painstaking  and  thorough  in 
everything  he  undertook,  most  enterprises  of  the  club, 
particularly  the  Charles  River,  owed  a large  part  of 
their  success  to  his  quiet,  systematic  methods. 

At  the  sixth  annual  meeting,  November  17,  1897,  the 
usual  reports  for  the  year  just  passed  were  read,  and 
announcements  and  arrangements  made  for  the  year  to 
come.  Mr.  Carruth,  Mr.  Thorp  and  Miss  Peabody  were 
re-elected  to  hold  the  reins  for  another  year. 

1897-8. 

Although  membership  had  dropped  to  twenty,  the 
club  started  on  its  sixth  year  under  most  favorable 
auspices;  early  enthusiasm  was  not  diminished,  and 
quality  of  work  was  rapidly  improving. 

High-water  mark  was  reached  at  the  fifth  annual 
exhibition  held  at  the  hall  of  the  Browne  and  Nichols 
School,  the  cosy  little  studio  in  Buckingham  Place  being 
given  up  to  other  uses.  The  judges,  Messrs.  Sprague 
and  Whiton,  of  the  Boston  Camera  Club,  gentlemen  of 
much  experience  in  photographic  exhibitions,  declared 


27 


this  to  be  the  best  they  had  ever  seen,  and  awarded 
eight  diplomas  only,  though  empowered  to  give  twelve, 
asserting  that,  after  careful  scrutiny,  they  had  found 
eight  pictures  of  very  special  and  uncommon  merit;  but 
if  they  were  required  to  give  more  premiums  they  must 
give  fifty,  a striking  tribute  to  the  unusual  general  excel- 
lence of  the  collection.  When  it  was  known  that  Miss 
Devens’  “ Aunt  Howe,”  a picture  since  exhibited  at  all 
the  salons  and  most  of  the  leading  exhibitions  in  this 
country  and  abroad,  was  one  of  the  eight  selected  for 
honors,  the  quality  of  the  photographs  displayed  can 
be  appreciated.  This  exhibition  was  also  noteworthy 
for  several  gum  bichromate  prints,  said  to  be  the  first 
exhibited  in  this  country,  which  were  shown  by  Miss 
Devens. 

To  encourage  the  habit  of  working  in  concert,  and  to 
take  the  place  of  the  Charles  River  show,  fallen  through 
after  one  highly  remunerative  experience,  the  Coolidge 
Farm  contest,  so  called,  was  instituted.  For  this  year, 
a spot  near  Charles  River,  abounding  in  picturesque 
possibilities,  had  been  selected,  competitors  being  re- 
quired to  set  up  their  cameras  within  certain  bounds, 
measuring  three  or  four  hundred  yards  each  way,  any 
view  taken  from  within  the  prescribed  limits  being 
eligible.  Twenty-nine  prints  were  shown  at  the  meet- 
ing, November  9,  1898,  which  were  judged  by  Miss 
Smith,  Miss  Willard,  and  Miss  Winlock,  Cambridge 
artists,  who  gave  the  prize  for  the  best  single  picture  to 
Mrs.  Carruth,  and  that  for  best  group  of  three  or  more 
to  Miss  Devens. 

After  a busy  and  prosperous  year  the  club  met  for 
the  seventh  annual  meeting  November  23,  1898.  Four- 
teen regular  meetings  had  been  held  with  six  compe- 


28 


titions  and  an  exhibition;  some  of  the  members  spent 
Decoration  Day  among  the  lakes  and  hills  of  Middlesex, 
a revival  of  the  old  field  meetings  discontinued  long  ago 
for  want  of  interest;  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  Russell  enter- 
tained her  fellow  members  one  pleasant  afternoon  in 
June,  at  her  place  in  Magnolia,  where  all  enjoyed  them- 
selves and  some  good  photographs  were  secured.  Mr. 
Carruth,  Mr.  Thorp  and  Miss  Peabody  were  re-elected 
without  opposition,  and  the  club  entered  upon  its  seventh 
year  of  profitable,  happy  life. 

1898-9. 

The  first  memorable  event  of  the  year  was  a lecture 
on  the  life  of  Benedict  Arnold,  illustrated  by  the  lantern, 
successfully  given  by  Mr.  Wm.  W.  Ellsworth,  in  Brattle 
Hall,  under  the  auspices  of  the  club,  on  the  evening  of 
January  28. 

Only  seventeen  members  sent  contributions  to  the 
sixth  annual  exhibition,  but  the  judges,  Messrs.  Wm. 
Stone  and  Thomas  Allen,  Boston  artists,  were  enthusi- 
astic over  the  merit  of  the  photographs  on  the  walls, 
and  insisted  on  giving  thirteen  diplomas  instead  of  the 
usual  twelve.  A new  undertaking  was  the  furnishing 
catalogues  of  the  collection,  instead  of  designating  the 
prints  by  labels  attached  to  them  as  in  previous  years. 
The  committee  intrusted  with  this  duty  were  a little 
ambitious,  and  brought  out  a pamphlet  with  reproduc- 
tions of  some  of  the  most  striking  photographs,  expect- 
ing to  recover  the  expense  by  the  sale  of  copies  at  ten 
cents  each.  The  public,  however,  refused  to  rise  to  the 
occasion,  complaining  that  the  old  way  was  much  less 
trouble,  and  evidently  considering  it  an  imposition  to  be 
asked  to  pay  anything  at  a free  show.  The  result  was 


29 


that  the  club  were  left  with  abundant  valuable  expe- 
rience and  a great  number  of  unsold  catalogues  which, 
being  made  of  incombustible  paper,  were  not  even  useful 
to  light  fires  with. 

The  resignation  of  Miss  Allyn,  the  founder  of  the 
club,  was  tendered  in  February.  Miss  Allyn  did  what 
others  talked  about,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  a very 
active  and  vigorous  photographic  club.  Remembering 
the  many  happy  hours  they  owed  to  her  enterprise,  and 
the  influence  she  exerted  on  the  social  and  working  life 
of  the  society,  members  made  an  earnest  effort  to  induce 
her  to  alter  her  decision,  but  she  refused  to  withdraw 
her  resignation  and  it  was,  perforce,  accepted  with 
much  genuine  regret,  the  orphan  club  going  on  its  way 
disconsolate. 

At  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Corne,  the  club,  with  invited 
guests,  visited  the  Sargent  collection  of  portraits  on  the 
evening  of  March  16,  going  by  special  car,  and  listening, 
after  the  closing  hour,  to  a talk  about  the  pictures  by 
Mr.  Desmond  Fitzgerald. 

The  old  board  of  officers,  Mr.  Carruth,  Mr.  Thorp 
and  Miss  Peabody,  were  re-elected  at  the  eighth  annual 
meeting,  November  22,  1899.  The  year  had  passed 
much  like  the  previous  one,  the  attendance  at  meetings 
had  been  a little  better,  and  the  usual  competitions  were 
held;  the  president,  however,  deemed  it  necessary  to 
call  attention  to  the  falling  off  in  entries  for  the  volun- 
tary competitions,  and  to  speak  again  of  the  usefulness 
and  pleasure  of  making  lantern  slides. 

1899-1900. 

This  year  was  very  quiet  and  uneventful,  unmarked 
by  any  unusual  circumstance  or  incident  of  note.  Three 


30 


of  the  thirteen  meetings  were  occupied  with  competitions 
while  two  were  entertained  by  members,  and  outside 
talent  introduced  for  the  diversion  of  the  other  eight. 
The  snow  competition  was  omitted,  owing  to  lack  of 
snow  during  the  whole  winter,  and  the  Coolidge  Farm 
from  want  of  interest  among  the  members.  Average 
attendance,  however,  was  better  than  it  had  been  for 
several  years. 

The  exhibition  held  in  March,  a month  later  than 
heretofore,  was  visited  by  nearly  three  thousand  people, 
the  largest  attendance  on  record.  The  committee  had 
introduced  many  changes  and  improvements  in  small 
details  and  provided  a single  and  inexpensive,  but  taste- 
ful catalogue,  free  for  all,  an  innovation  apparently 
appreciated  by  the  public. 

The  McCormick  collection  in  Copley  Hall  was  visited 
in  March,  after  the  hour  of  closing,  and  a most  intelli- 
gent criticism  of  the  pictures  by  Mr.  Vinton  was  enjoyed 
by  the  club  and  their  guests. 

At  the  ninth  annual  meeting,  November  21,  1900,  Mr. 
Carruth,  after  an  able  and  honorable  service  of  five 
years,  asked  to  be  allowed  to  retire,  and  Mr.  Thorp  was 
elected  president,  Mr.  Sharpies  vice-president,  and  Miss 
Peabody  secretary. 

Mr.  Carruth  had  shown  himself  a most  diligent  and 
efficient  officer.  During  his  entire  term  the  council 
were  never  found  unprepared,  meetings  were  held  regu- 
larly on  the  appointed  evenings,  and  the  entertainments 
were  always  ready;  new  enterprises  were  originated  in 
place  of  old  schemes  whose  attractiveness  was  beginning 
to  wane,  and  competitions,  lectures,  demonstrations, 
shows  and  exhibitions  followed  each  other  in  endless 
variety.  Devoted  to  the  club,  and  giving  much  time 


31 


and  thought  to  its  affairs,  he  had  his  reward  in  the 
growth  and  progress  shown  from  year  to  year  and  the 
grateful  recognition  of  the  members.  One  criticism  may 
perhaps  be  allowed:  he  did  so  much  for  the  club  that 
they  lost  in  some  degree  the  faculty  of  doing  for  them- 
selves, beginning  to  lack  the  sturdy  independence  and 
self-reliance  once  so  characteristic,  and  depending  upon 
being  carried  along  by  the  council  rather  than  relying  on 
their  own  exertions. 


1900-1. 

The  regularly  established  routine  was  not  very  much 
disturbed  by  the  change  of  administration.  The  compe- 
tition in  Classes  A and  B was  held  in  December,  only 
thirteen  members  entering  a collection  of  prints,  said  by 
the  judges  not  to  be  up  to  the  standard  of  the  club. 
The  lantern  competition  in  February  was  contested  by 
seven  members,  while  twelve  entered  the  portrait  com- 
petition in  May;  there  was  no  snow  competition,  and 
the  Coolidge  Farm  was  not  revived. 

The  club  enjoyed  their  annual  excursion  to  Copley 
Hall  in  March,  at  Mr.  Corne’s  invitation,  visiting  the 
Exhibition  of  Pictures  of  Fair  Children  and  listening  to 
a talk  by  Mrs.  Henry  Whitman. 

The  eighth  annual  exhibition  was  held  from  March  30 
to  April  3,  at  Browne  and  Nichols  Hall,  twenty-one 
members  sending  one  hundred  and  seventy  prints.  An 
official  seal  had  long  been  an  ambition  of  the  club,  and 
Mr.  Carruth  had  been  appointed  a committee  to  nego- 
tiate for  designs.  A cut,  planned  after  Mr.  Carruth’s 
rough  hints,  representing,  on  a shield  supported  by  two 


32 


laurel  branches,  the  sun  bursting  through  clouds,  with 
the  motto,  “ Through  Darkness  to  Light”,  made  its 
appearance  on  the  catalogue,  giving  it  a little  character ; 
but  the  execution  was  too  delicate  to  be  effective  in  that 
position,  and  the  club,  failing  to  grasp  the  beauty  of  the 
design,  decided  against  its  adoption  as  the  symbol  of  the 
society. 

The  exciting  event  of  the  year  was  a competition 
with  the  Boston  Camera  Club  in  photography  as  a fine 
art.  The  Boston  club  were  challenged  to  a friendly 
contest  and  accepted,  the  conditions  being  arranged  at 
a good-natured  conference.  Each  club  sent  fifty  photo- 
graphs, not  more  than  five  from  any  one  member, 
which  were  judged  by  three  Boston  artists  and  marked 
for  artistic  excellence,  both  collections  being  afterwards 
exhibited  in  the  rooms  of  the  Boston  club.  The  Cam- 
bridge club  were  victorious  by  the  handsome  margin  of 
two  hundred  and  eighty-two  points  to  Boston’s  two 
hundred  and  fourteen. 

At  the  president’s  suggestion,  it  was  resolved  that 
each  member  take  the  portrait  of  another  member  dur- 
ing the  summer,  the  apportionment  of  victims  being 
decided  by  lot,  a revival,  in  a new  shape,  of  the  old 
summer  competitions. 

Thirteen  meetings  were  held  during  the  year  with 
good  attendance  ; and  members  had  furnished  the  enter- 
tainment rather  more  often  than  for  several  previous 
years.  The  old  board  of  officers,  Mr.  Thorp,  Mr. 
Sharpies  and  Miss  Peabody,  were  re-elected  at  the  tenth 
annual  meeting,  November  27,  1901,  and  the  year  closed 
with  a good  balance  in  the  treasury  in  spite  of  rather 
heavy  expenses. 


33 


1901-2. 

The  collection  of  portraits  of  the  members  by  the 
members  was  hung  December  4.  Twenty  members 
sent  in  thirty-five  photographs,  which  were  judged  for 
likeness  and  artistic  merit  by  Mr.  Corne,  who  gave  the 
reasons  for  his  decisions  ; a portrait  of  Mr.  Morison  by 
Mr.  Sanger  was  placed  at  the  head.  This  new  compe- 
tition seemed  to  meet  with  favor,  calling  out  more  con- 
testants than  was  customary,  and  the  portraits  showed 
that  work  in  this  field  might  well  be  encouraged,  but 
for  some  reason  not  given  it  has  never  been  repeated. 

A very  pleasant  and  gratifying  incident  of  the  year 
was  a request  from  the  Providence  Camera  Club  for  a 
loan  collection  to  be  exhibited  in  that  city.  About  fifty 
specimens  of  the  club’s  best  work  were  sent  in  early  in 
February,  which  were  welcomed  with  much  kindness 
and  favor,  the  exhibition  attracting  a great  deal  of 
notice.  A graceful  letter,  expressing  their  thanks  and 
acknowledgments,  was  received  from  the  Providence 
club. 

The  ninth  annual  exhibition  was  held  in  Browne  and 
Nichols  Hall  from  April  19  to  24,  only  sixteen  members 
being  represented.  Mr.  Hermann  Dudley  Murphy 
judged  the  pictures  and  gave  the  usual  talk  in  the 
studio. 

Eager  to  retrieve  their  defeat  of  the  previous  year, 
the  Boston  Camera  Club  sent  a challenge  for  another 
competition,  which  was  accepted.  Conditions  were 
agreed  to,  requiring  all  photographs  competing  to  be 
from  exposures  made  within  twelve  months,  and  all 
work  on  negative  and  print  to  be  done  by  competitor. 
The  fifty  prints  to  represent  Cambridge  were  chosen 
from  the  exhibition  as  it  hung  on  the  walls  and  sent 


34 


into  Boston  in  time  for  the  joint  exhibition  and  compe- 
tition. Victory  again  favored  the  Cambridge  club,  who 
received  sixty  points  more  than  their  adversaries. 

At  the  eleventh  annual  meeting,  December  3,  1902, 
the  old  board  of  officers,  Mr.  Thorp,  Mr.  Sharpies  and 
Miss  Peabody  were  re-elected,  Twelve  regular  meetings 
had  been  held  and  the  club  had  once  visited,  by  invita- 
tion, the  studio  of  Mr.  F.  Holland  Day.  In  addition  to 
the  successful  portraits  of  members’  contest,  competi- 
tions in  Classes  A,  B and  C had  been  held,  but  the  lan- 
tern contest  was  given  up  from  lack  of  interest.  The 
secretary’s  report  called  attention  to  the  termination  of 
the  club’s  tenth  year  of  life,  and  closed  with  the  hopeful 
prayer,  “ Long  live  the  Old  Cambridge  Photographic 
Club.” 

1902-3 

A challenge  to  a third  competition  received  from  the 
Boston  Camera  Club  was  declined,  partly  in  consequence 
of  some  real  or  fancied  want  of  good  feeling  shown  by 
members  of  the  Boston  Club  on  the  occasion  of  their 
last  defeat,  but  mainly  no  doubt  for  want  of  interest. 

A plan  for  club  work  proposed  by  the  council  seemed 
to  promise  well, — that  a paragraph  from  some  well- 
known  book  be  selected  for  illustration.  In  the  follow- 
ing discussion  the  original  design  was  changed,  and 
“ Contentment  ” adopted  for  a subject,  but  little  or  no  in- 
terest was  shown,  only  four  members  being  ready  on 
the  day  appointed  for  handing  in  the  photographs,  and 
the  competition  failed  utterly. 

Twenty-two  members  contributed  to  the  tenth  annual 
exhibition,  held  in  Browne  and  Nichols  Hall  from  April 
18  to  22,  1903,  but  the  display  did  not  prove  very 


35 


attractive  to  the  public,  the  attendance,  which  had 
been  gradually  declining  for  some  years,  falling  to  about 
sixteen  hundred,  the  smallest  since  the  second  exhibi- 
tion in  1895. 

Twenty-eight  snow  landscapes,  entered  in  competition 
for  a prize  offered  by  Miss  C.  E.  Peabody,  were  hung  at 
the  meeting  of  May  20.  Mr.  Corne,  who  acted  as  judge, 
spoke  of  the  unusual  variety  of  subjects  and  the  general 
excellence  of  the  whole  collection.  The  prize  was 
awarded  to  Mr.  Sharpies  for  a mountain  view. 

Early  in  June  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kettell,  who  had  recently 
removed  to  Lexington,  asked  the  club  to  their  new 
house.  The  few  who  accepted  the  invitation  enjoyed  a 
delightful  informal  gathering  and  afternoon  tea. 

The  usual  thirteen  regular  meetings  were  held  during 
the  year  with  an  average  attendance  of  fifteen,  and 
club  competitions  were  held  in  Classes  A,  B and  C.  At 
the  annual  meeting,  November  18,  1903,  Mr.  Thorp 
retired  from  the  presidency  at  his  own  request,  and  Mr. 
Sharpies  was  elected  president,  Mr.  Peabody  vice-presi- 
dent and  Miss  Peabody  secretary. 

Conclusion. 

A review  of  the  last  eleven  years  shows  the  Old  Cam- 
bridge Photographic  Club  to  have  been  founded  in  a 
happy  hour,  just  when  the  old  albumen  silver  print, 
with  its  superfluity  of  detail,  was  giving  way  to  more 
artistic  methods,  and  photographers  had  begun  to  reach 
out  after  higher  ideals, — a favorable  opportunity  to  join 
in  and  go  forward  with  the  new  movement.  The 
question  which  most  disturbed  the  original  members, 
whether  a successful  society  could  be  carried  on  at 


36 


small  expense,  very  soon  answered  itself,  and  the  annual 
assessments,  averaging  one  dollar  and  a half  for  ordi- 
nary expenditures  and  three  dollars  for  exhibitions, 
have  been  repaid  a thousandfold  in  profit  and  pleasure. 
The  club  records  are  an  interesting  study,  showing  how 
a few  individuals,  without  extraordinary  qualifications, 
may  by  earnest,  well-directed  labor,  conquer  for  them- 
selves a high  place  in  the  world  of  art,  and  also,  alas! 
that  high  rank  can  only  be  maintained  by  the  same 
steady,  unremitting  effort.  Progress  for  the  last  four 
or  five  years  has  not  been  what  it  might  and  should  be 
in  many  ways.  The  old  enthusiasm  and  club  feeling 
have  sadly  waned,  the  old  enterprises  and  contests  to 
which  so  much  of  the  old  success  was  due,  have  been 
discontinued  one  by  one,  or  are  entered  in  an  indiffer- 
ent, half-hearted  way.  The  announcement  is  made 
every  year  that  the  exhibition  is  superior  to  any  pre- 
ceding one,  and  it  is,  no  doubt,  true  that  some  im- 
provement is  shown  from  year  to  year,  but  the  standard 
grows  higher  every  day,  and  Cambridge  fails  to  keep 
up,  following  now  where  once  it  led.  This  is  due  in 
great  part,  no  doubt,  to  the  listlessness  natural  in  an 
old  society,  but  largely  also  to  the  doctrine  inculcated 
of  late,  that  the  main  end  and  object  of  a photographic 
club  is  the  production,  no  matter  by  what  means,  of  a 
few  pretty  prints  which  can  be  exhibited  and  win 
medals,  — a very  short-sighted  view.  Let  the  club  be 
regarded  as  a school  where  all  may  become  accom- 
plished photographers,  and  let  all,  members  and  council 
alike,  work  strenuously  together  to  better  each  day’s 
work,  always  putting  the  club  first  and  the  individual 
second,  and  the  medals  will  accumulate  in  heaps. 


37 


There  is  enough  enthusiasm  now  latent  which  only 
wants  arousing  and  encouraging ; a new  council  have 
been  elected,  young,  talented  and  energetic ; to  them 
all  turn,  assured  that  their  trust  is  not  misplaced,  and 
convinced  that  the  new  management  will  inaugurate  an 
era  of  unexampled  prosperity  and  advancement,  giving 
to  the  future  historian  the  pleasant  task  of  recording 
fresh  victories  and  triumphs  new,  beginning  with  the 
year  1903-04. 

Cambridge,  November  20,  1903. 


38 


OLD  CAMBRIDGE  PHOTOGRAPHIC  CLUB. 


CONSTITUTION. 

I.  Name. 

This  association  shall  be  known  as  the  Old  Cambridge  Photo- 
graphic Club. 

II.  Object. 

The  object  of  the  club  shall  be  the  advancement  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  photography  and  the  promotion  of  social  intercourse 
among  its  members. 

III.  Membership. 

1.  The  members  shall  be  residents  of  Cambridge,  practising 
photography. 

2.  The  number  of  members  shall  be  limited  to  twenty-five. 

3.  The  secretary  shall  keep  a list  of  names  of  those  who  may 
be  proposed  for  membership,  and  the  council  may  nominate  from 
this  list  candidates  to  fill  vacancies. 

4.  The  council  shall  constitute  an  election  committee  for  mem- 
bers. Proposals  for  membership  must  be  in  writing  and  signed 
by  at  least  two  members  of  the  club.  Proposals  shall  contain 
the  full  names  and  addresses  of  the  persons  proposed  and  a state- 
ment of  the  reasons  why,  in  the  opinion  of  the  proposers,  they 
would  be  desirable  members.  The  council  shall  report  the  names 
of  persons  proposed,  by  mail,  to  all  members  of  the  club,  at  least 
two  weeks  before  taking  any  action  upon  them,  and  objections 
may  be  offered  to  any  of  the  names  proposed,  such  communica- 
tions to  be  regarded  by  the  council  as  confidential. 

5.  Newly-elected  members  who  fail  to  notify  the  secretary  of 
acceptance,  and  to  affix  their  signatures  to  the  constitution,  within 
one  month  of  their  election,  shall  not  be  counted  as  members. 


39 


6.  Members  absenting  themselves  from  four  successive  meet- 
ings, without  sending  excuses,  shall  be  regarded  as  having  with- 
drawn from  the  club. 

7.  A non-resident  when  nominated  by  the  council  may  be 
elected  an  associate  member ; provided,  however,  that  the  number 
of  associate  members  shall  at  no  time  exceed  five.  Associate 
members  shall  be  elected  by  the  same  vote  and  pay  the  same 
assessments  as  members,  and  shall  have  the  privilege  of  attending 
all  meetings  and  engaging  in  all  competitions,  but  shall  have 
no  vote  and  shall  not  receive  the  books  circulated  among  the 
members. 

IV.  Officers. 

1.  The  officers  of  the  club  shall  be  a president,  vice-president, 
and  a secretary,  who  shall  also  act  as  treasurer. 

2.  These  officers  shall  be  the  executive  council,  having  charge 
of  the  property  and  affairs  of  the  club,  with  power  to  decide  all 
questions  not  provided  for  by  the  constitution. 

3.  The  officers  shall  be  chosen  by  ballot  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing, and  hold  office  during  the  ensuing  year. 

4.  The  council  shall  have  power  to  fill  all  vacancies  in  their 
number  and  to  appoint  a substitute,  pro  tem .,  for  any  officer 
unable  from  any  cause  to  attend  to  his  duties. 

V.  Meetings. 

1.  Regular  meetings  shall  be  held  fortnightly,  from  October 
to  June,  at  the  residences  of  the  members. 

2.  The  ranking  officer  present  shall  preside  at  all  meetings. 

3.  Five  members  shall  constitute  a quorum  for  the  transaction 
of  business. 

4.  The  second  regular  meeting  after  the  summer  recess  shall 
be  the  annual  meeting. 

5.  Field  meetings,  excursions  and  exhibitions  shall  be  arranged 
by  the  council  at  suitable  times. 

6.  No  residents  of  Cambridge,  other  than  the  family  of  the 
members  receiving  the  club,  shall  be  asked  as  guests  to  any  reg- 
ular meeting. 


40 


VI.  Assessments. 


1.  Assessments  not  exceeding  two  dollars  for  each  member, 
in  any  one  year,  shall  be  made  by  the  council  when  necessary  to 
cover  the  running  expenses  of  the  club. 

2.  Expenses  of  field  meetings  and  excursions  shall  be  borne 
by  the  members  participating. 

VII.  Amendments. 

The  constitution  may  be  amended  by  a three-fourths  vote  of  the 
members  present  at  any  regular  meeting ; provided  that  the  pro- 
posed amendment  has  been  stated  in  full  at  a previous  meeting, 
or  that  at  least  one  week’s  notice  of  the  proposed  amendment  has 
been  sent  to  all  members  by  the  secretary.  In  any  case,  notice 
of  meeting  at  which  an  amendment  is  to  be  voted  on,  must  con- 
tain the  words,  “amendment  to  constitution.” 


41 


OLD  CAMBRIDGE  PHOTOGRAPHIC  CLUB. 


LIST  OF  MEMBERS. 


Miss  Alice  C.  Allyn, 

Original 

March 

l 1899 

Miss  Caroline  L.  Parsons, 

Original 

Dec. 

5,  1893 

Miss  Caroline  E.  Peabody, 

Original 

Miss  Helen  T.  Peabody, 

Original 

Mr.  Henry  L.  Rand, 

Original 

Mr.  Henry  M.  Spelman, 

Original 

May 

21,  1895 

Prof.  F.  C.  de  Sumichrast, 

Original 

April 

27,  1892 

Mr.  James  A.  Wells, 

Original 

Mr.  Charles  T.  Carruth, 

March  22,  1892 

Mrs.  Anna  K.  Carruth, 

March  22,  1892 

Mr.  William  F.  Corne, 

March  22,  1892 

Nov. 

21,  1900 

Miss  Cornelia  Horsford, 

March  22,  1892 

Nov. 

28,  1892 

Miss  Katherine  W.  Lane, 

March  22,  1892 

Nov. 

28,  1892 

Rev.  Robert  S.  Morison, 

March  22,  1892 

Miss  Olive  M.  Swan, 

March  22,  1892 

Nov. 

21,  1893 

Mr.  Robert  W.  Willson, 

April 

13,  1892 

May 

21,  1895 

Rev.  Henry  A.  Parker, 

April 

13,  1892 

Nov. 

3,  1896 

Miss  Alberta  M.  Houghton, 

April 

13,  1892 

Dec. 

3,  1895 

Mr.  Charles  W.  Kettell, 

May 

18,  1892 

Mrs.  Fanny  H.  Kettell, 

May 

18,  1892 

Miss  Frederica  K.  Davis, 

May 

25,  1892 

Nov. 

5,  1895 

Prof.  James  B.  Greenough, 

Nov. 

28,  1892 

Nov. 

9,  1897 

Prof.  Frederic  D.  Allen, 

Jan. 

31,  1893  *Aug. 

4,  1897 

Mrs.  Emmeline  L.  Allen, 

Jan. 

31,  1893 

Miss  Elizabeth  T.  Thornton,  Associate , 

Jan. 

31,  1893 

April 

17,  1894 

Mrs.  Edith  Guild  Taussig, 

Feb. 

14,  1893 

Mr.  Charles  F.  Batchelder, 

Feb. 

14,  1893 

Jan. 

14,  1896 

Mr.  Joseph  G.  Thorp,  Jr., 

April 

26,  1893 

Rev.  Max  L.  Kellner, 

May 

8,  1893 

Nov. 

21,  1893 

Mr.  Wm.  H.  Pickering,  Associate , 

Jan. 

2,  1894 

Promoted 

Miss  Anna  R.  Gade, 

Jan. 

2,  1894 

Dec. 

19,  1894 

Miss  Lois  L.  Howe, 

Feb. 

13,  1894 

Prof.  F.  C.  de  Sumichrast, 

March  13,  1894 

Dec. 

13,  1895 

42 


Miss  Laura  P.  Stone,  Associate , 

Mrs.  Laura  P.  Batchelder, 

Miss  Mary  Devens, 

Prof.  Wm.  H.  Pickering, 

Mr.  Wm.  R.  Whittemore, 

Miss  Elizabeth  H.  Smith, 

Mr.  Philip  P.  Sharpies, 

Mrs.  Margaret  M.  Russell, 

Mr.  Francis  E.  Frothingham,  Associate 
Mr.  Frederic  de  Puyster  Townsend, 
Miss  Mary  F.  Russell,  Associate , 

Mrs.  Lillian  H.  Russell, 

Mr.  Nathaniel  C.  Nash, 

Mr.  Charles  R.  Sanger, 

Mrs.  Myra  H.  Sanger, 

Miss  Sarah  Yerxa, 

Mrs.  Kate  D.  Kidder, 

Mrs.  Jennie  R.  Woodbury,  Associate , 
Mr.  James  J.  Greenough, 

Miss  Margaret  A.  Leavitt, 

Miss  Percy  S.  Thaxter,  Associate , 

Mr.  W.  P.  P.  Longfellow, 

Mr.  Charles  T.  Paine, 

Mrs.  Jeannette  B.  Peabody, 

Mr.  Charles  Peabody, 


Nov. 

20,  1894 

Promoted 

Feb. 

26,  1895 

Jan. 

14,  1896 

Nov. 

17,  1895 

Nov. 

17,  1895 

Nov. 

9,  1898 

Nov. 

17,  1895 

Nov. 

9,  1898 

Dec. 

31,  1895 

Dec. 

31,  1895 

Dec. 

1,  1897 

Dec. 

1,  1897 

March  23,  1898 

Nov. 

23,  1898 

May 

2,  1900 

Nov. 

23,  1898 

April 

3,  1901 

April 

1,  1899 

Dec. 

31,  1902 

April 

5,  1899 

April 

17,  1901 

Nov. 

29,  1899 

Nov. 

29,  1899 

March  27,  1900 

Oct. 

8,  1900 

Nov. 

13,  1901 

April 

17,  1901 

Jan. 

3,  1901 

March  20,  1902 

Jan. 

3,  1901 

Dec. 

18,  1901 

Dec. 

3,  1902 

Dec. 

3,  1902 

Dec. 

3,  1902 

Dec. 

3,  1902 

43 


P.CTTV  PFMTFR  I TRRARY 


3 3125  00058  7994 


